Purdue's Terone Johnson drives to the basket against William & Mary inside Mackey Arena, in West Lafayette, on Saturday, December 29, 2012.

Written by

Jeff Washburn

As the Boilermakers prepare to begin their Big Ten Conference season tonight against 11th-ranked Illinois in Mackey Arena, veterans Byrd and junior Terone Johnson have not played to their expectations, let alone those of Purdue fans.

Byrd is averaging 9.3 points a game and is shooting only 35 percent from the field. Johnson is averaging a team-leading 12.5 points but is shooting only 38.9 percent. ...